Paul's Thai House

Scuba Diving at Phuket

The diving around Phuket is brilliant fun. There’s very little current; the sea is often crystal clear and there is stacks to see. There are lovely shallow dives for beginners right up to 70 meter wreck dives for the Tech divers. Whatever level you are at there is diving to suit you whether it be shore diving, a day trip aboard a local longtail boat, an offshore excursion on one of the many bigger boats offering PADI trips or the fabulous live-aboard Trips to the Similan Islands which are unforgettable experiences.

If you have never dived before and fancy a go then I have all the necessary dive equipment at the house and a pool to get you started. Many of my guests always liked the idea of scuba diving but somehow never got round to it with many thinking they are now ‘past it’. Nope! Not the case….as proved by my 83 year old father when, after a number of gentle sessions in the house pool, managed to do a 40 minute dive at 7 meters from the shore and loved it.

Once I am happy with your progress we graduate to the sea for some very nice easy dives starting from the shore and, as you get more confident, we increase our range and depth. Quite a few guests decide to then progress onto the full PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) programme. This takes you initially into the Open Water PADI qualification and then the world of PADI diving opens up with many more exciting courses to take if you so wish.

You must have a recognised Diving Certification (PADI is the most popular but there are other options on offer) before you can go diving from a PADI dive boat but you DO NOT need a Certificate to go diving. Of course you MUST be trained and that is what I offer…it’s a pre-PADI course and it follows the PADI Open Water Course exactly. Guests who have then gone on to take the PADI Open Water Course said they felt very confident taking the full course because of the very relaxed training they had experienced with me.

The level of Scuba instruction is very high at the Phuket Dive Centres and it costs about a third of the price to learn in Thailand than it does in the UK. You do not need to bring anything…everything will be proved although it is nice to own your own mask and fins especially as there is so much snorkelling to enjoy.

Chalong has several Dive Centres with PADI instructors who can take you to any level you like. For those of you who have dived a bit and reached Advanced Open Water there’s an impressive wreck south of Phuket where Wreck Penetration and Nitrox Courses take place…there’s Fish ID, Underwater Photography, Deep Diving Speciality courses etc etc…the list goes on….or you can just go out on the boats and enjoy the dive as sheer pleasure….superb!